Bognor’s blizzard blows away Ventnor

Bognor blew away bottom side Ventnor with a blizzard of tries to win 76-0 at snow-hit Hampshire Avenue.

They started brightly in the Hampshire League division one tussle with Pat Gibbs running in a comfortable score on the left wing after delicate hands from George Castleton and Joshua Riggall. It was 7-0 with a Jack Hornibrook conversion.

Next on the scoresheet was Chris Webb, who made easy work of a carry through the midfield, making it 14-0 after another accurate Hornibrook kick.

Sam Newcombe struck with intent after a lovely bout of forward play from skipper Lee Balchin and hooker Riley Chute. The speedy outside centre used his athleticism to barge over.

Joshua Burgess was frequently getting his hands on the ball and was next to score after a gorgeous move linking Hornibrook, Darren Bidwell and Adam Knight. The forwards and scrum half offloaded well in the wide channel before the big centre finished under the posts and Hornibrook’s conversion made it 26-0.

James Barlow made a lovely hit on the touchline and forced the Ventnor winger out to touch. Bognor capitalised on the lineout opportunity and played quickly, Hornibrook finding the ball again out wide after swift hands from Paddy Burnett and Danny Greenslade placing the ball over for another home score – 33-0 Bognor.

Greenslade bagged a try of his own after leaping like a salmon, catching the ball and finishing impressively.

Hornibrook wanted a piece of the action and used great footwork to open up space in the Ventnor defence and danced his way over the whitewash to make it 45-0.

Webb dominated in the loose and used his quick feet to take the outside line and beat the opposing winger for pace.

With half-time beckoning, Castleton was replaced by Alex Bosley while Greenslade came off inured and young starlet Jeremy Newton Young took his place.

Bosley made an immediate impact with some great carrying in the central regions supported by his captain and workhorse Balchin. The two flankers linked up like they had played together for years. Riley and Bidwell continued to dominate the ruck area with Riggall pulling strings out wide despite the horrendous conditions.

Burgess made mincemeat of the away side’s defence and finished with ease for a 59-0 lead.

The forwards turned over a scrum after immense power in the engine room from Barlow and great scrummaging technique by Webb. Bosley, backed by Knight, finished.

Newcombe continued to look dangerous out wide and pounced on a loose offload from partner Burgess to finish in style in the corner, making it 71-0.

Balchin carried hard through the middle and fed try-hungry Gibbs for his second, which rounded off the 76-0 win.

Castleton said: “We must play these last games of the season with passion and pride.”